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Vehicles of the Imperium (Warhammer 40,000)

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The Imperium is a vast, galaxy-spanning empire in the Warhammer 40,000 fictional universe. There are several armed branches of the Imperium's military and police services, and much of their equipment is common to multiple branches. Much of the same designs are also used by the Legions of Chaos.

The armed forces of the Imperium include, but are not limited to:

This list will name the common armoured vehicles used.

Contents

Imperial Guard Vehicles

The Imperial Guard forces dedicated to the defense of the planetary systems of Mankind deploy their own variations of numerous and varied-sized vehicles that are not as well equiped or maintained by the forces of the Inquisition or Space Marine Chapters. They also have a large selection of ordinance due to their need to "smash a walnut with a sledge-hammer" attitude. Most (if not all) their tanks are base off the chassis of the Chimera, the Leman Russ, the Baneblade (Super Heavy Tanks only), or the sentinel, but in most cases support vehicles are based off the Chimera while main battle tanks are based off the Leman Russ.

Chimera

The standard armoured personnel carrier of the Imperial Guard, the Chimera carries a variety of heavy weapons, such as the heavy bolter, autocannon, and heavy flamer, although the multilaser is most common. It also mounts a hull mounted heavy bolter or heavy flamer, as well as 6 hull mounted lasguns on the sides which can be fired by their passengers. It can carry up to 12 men, and has amphibious capability, and so can also take part in naval assaults. The Chimera chassis is very durable, and is the basis for many other IG tanks, including the Basilisk, Hellhound and Griffon.

Hellhound

Based on the Chimera chassis design, the Hellhound is outfitted with a weapon known as the 'Inferno Cannon'. It is, essentially, a large, high-pressure flamethrower designed to project streams of ignited promethium at long range, coating targets in burning accelerant. By the sheer nature of the weapon, the Hellhound has sacrificed all of its troop carrying capacity to carry Promethium in two tremendous tanks that are exposed to enemy fire. The men that crew Hellhounds are often pyromaniacs, and in addition to being considered insane by their fellow Guardsmen for their willingness to operate such a dangerous vehicle, are often found modifying the components of their Inferno Cannons to produce even greater output.

Basilisk

Equipped with the longest-range weapon available to a standard Imperial Guard regiment, Basilisk artillery vehicles utilise the standard Chimera chassis, with all transport capacity and the turret weapon removed, leaving it with a single hull weapon and the Earthshaker cannon. It is capable of being adjusted for indirect firing, laying down fire for effect at coordinates provided by forward observation units. The near-deafening shriek of an incoming shell from the Earthshaker cannon has a strong psychological effect on just about any opponent who has heard it. Despite its extreme battlefield effectiveness - a well-placed Earthshaker round will utterly crush all but the heaviest units and fortifications - it is lightly armored, leaving it vulnerable to enemy anti-vehicle armaments and even heavier anti-infantry weapons (such as the Tau pulse weaponry).

Griffon

The Griffon is a heavy mortar carrier with the same armour as a Chimera, and is often used when Basilisk support is unavalible. Griffons are no longer part of the Imperial Guard Codex, but the models can be obtained through Games Workshop's bitz order service, and a newer version is available from Forge World.

Hydra

Based on the Imperial Guard Chimera, the Hydra is mainly an anti-aircraft weapon for use inside planetary atmosphere. It is armed with four massive automatic flak cannons mounted on a radar turret. Games Workshop have released official rules for the Hydra for use only in Epic, while Forge World have released conceptual rules that can be used in the main Warhammer 40,000 game, as well as several models.

Medusa

The Medusa is a heavy self-propelled mortar usually deployed in sieges, also built around the Chimera Chassis. Unlike the Griffon, which fires its guns over enemy walls, the Medusa fires right through them, opening a breach for other forces to attack through.

Salamander

Also based on the Chimera Chassis, the Salamander is an open-topped, lightly armored scouting vehicle, and usually armed with a single autocannon. There is also a command variant armed with a heavy flamer.

Manticore

The Manticore is an artillery vehicle variant, carrying four powerful missiles with a variety of warheads. While it is far more ammo-intensive than the Basilisk's Earthshaker Cannon, the different warheads allow it to be used for a wider range of tasks.

Deathstrike

The Deathstrike is an intercontinental artillery support weapon. It is armed only with a single massive Deathstrike Missile.

Trojan

The Trojan is very rarely seen on the battlefield, as it's a support vehicle, serving behind the lines to reload heavier tanks and tow fixed gun emplacements.

Leman Russ

See main article: Leman Russ
The Leman Russ Battle Tank, named after Primarch Leman Russ of the Space Wolves, is the main line tank for the Imperial Guard. With its turret-mounted Battle Cannon and three Heavy Bolters, it is more than capable of mowing down troops, vehicles and buildings alike. It is the most common battle tank in the Imperial arsenal, and many variants have been built on the same general design. However, this mighty tank is also feared in the Imperium, as both The Lost and the Damned and the Orks have captured many of these fearsome war engines and modified them for their own purposes.

Armaments

The Leman Russ Battle Tank is typically armed with a large-bore gun known as a Battle Cannon, and a single weapon mounted in the forward section of the hull, usually a Heavy Bolter, but can also be a powerful Lascannon. Many Leman Russ tanks can also be armed with a pair of sponsons, which mount either Heavy Bolters or Heavy Flamers.

The Leman Russ is designed to smash apart enemy formations with Battle Cannon shells, then advance and eliminate any survivors with its secondary weapons. Although it carries strong frontal armour, the armour of the Leman Russ is weaker on the vehicle's flanks, and particularly vulnerable to assaults from the rear.

Variant Armaments

Due to its usefulness, as well as use of Standard Template Construction, many Forge Worlds have developed different combinations of weaponry and equipment, for different battlefield purposes.

Sentinel

A lightweight walker, Sentinels are often fielded in squadrons as scouts or flank support. They can carry a variety of heavy weapons and bring high levels of power and maneuvrability together in one place. They are lightly armoured however, and are susceptible to small arms fire. Sentinel pilots are often loners and outcasts, and are often considered to be on the borderline of insolence by officers.

There are multiple Sentinel variants, each variant a different combination of primary weapon and level of pilot protection. The most commonly used variants are:

Sentinels are also the base for many service vehicles, often equipped with power lifters to transport supplies and arming other, more battle worthy vehicles. Powerlifters are not designated combat units. However, should an Imperial base or artillery position be attacked, Powerlifters can be used in a combat role, using their hydraulic claws to crush enemies. This makes it stronger in combat than any other variant as it can use it's claws rather than a gun barrel or a foot.

Cyclops

The Cyclops is a demolition vehicle. A remote controlled bomb with treads, just small enough to fit into a Chimera with its controller. The Cyclops is steered towards its target, and detonated with devastating force.

Land Crawler

The Land Crawler is basically the STC design for a bulldozer, an all-purpose labor and utility vehicle used for a variety of tasks. It is often said to be the most important discovery in the STC template found by Arkhan Land, even over his more famous Land Speeder and Land Raider. Due to its ubiquity, the Land Crawler Chassis has often found itself being modified for military use, as needs dictate.

Bruennhilde

The Bruennhilde is a light APC build around the Land Crawler chassis. It is only lightly armed, with a single heavy stubber. As it's not very good on the front line, it is usually only used by Planetary Defense Forces.

Siegfried

The Siegfried is a scout tank, first developed during the 500-year civil war on the planet of Krieg as a replacement for lost Sentinels, and even today is often found among Siege regiments. Like the Sentinel, it is armed primarily with a Multilaser.

Ragnarok

Like the Siegfried, the Ragnarok Heavy Tank was developed in the Krieg Rebellion out of necessity. It was designed solely to crush the enemy through the sheer weight of numbers. Simpler and more lightly armed than the Leman Russ, the Ragnarok is armed only with a battlecannon and a pair of Heavy Stubbers. It is still often used by Siege Regiments such as the Baran Siegemasters, who refer to it as the "Mk. I Mobile Bunker".

Baneblade

The Baneblade is the primary super-heavy tank used by the Imperial Guard Armoured Companies, and is one of the largest and oldest tanks used by the Imperium. The Baneblade is created from one of the rare Standard Template Constructs, and is armed with an extremely heavy main Battle Cannon, a Demolisher Cannon, and numerous lascannons and heavy bolters. The tremendous fire power and survivability of the Baneblade are valuable assests, but more so is the increase in morale amongst smaller tanks and infantry when one of these rare behemoths is deployed.

The vast majority of Baneblades are produced on the forgeworld of Mars, with a select few others granted the honour of creating this war machine or one of its several variants. Every Baneblade is given its own identity number and name, and all records of the vehicle's service and actions are reverently recorded.

Baneblade Variants

There are several other Super-Heavy vehicles in service with the Imperium, based on the Baneblade design and chassis:

Leviathan

The Leviathan is a massive Land battleship commonly used as a mobile command center

Titans

See main article: Titan (Warhammer 40,000)

Space Marine Vehicles

The following list are vehicles used primarily by the Space Marines, the elite, mobile forces of the Imperium.

Rhino

Derived from the Rh1 N0 Standard Template Construct pattern, the Rhino is a fast armoured personnel carrier that can hold up to ten Space Marines. The Rhino generally mounts a single storm bolter and is lightly armoured. The chassis of the Rhino is easily adaptable, and serves as the basis for almost every other Space Marine vehicle. Rhinos are one of the most common and cheapest transport vehicles available to Mankind, also used by the Battle Sisters and the Arbites.

Razorback

A Razorback is a variant of the Rhino chassis that sacrifices a portion of its troop capacity for additional firepower. Razorbacks are mounted with twin-linked heavy bolters, lascannons or a multi-melta on a single automated (though on earlier incarnations manned) turret mounted on the chassis, and are excellent for adding firepower to smaller squads. Razorbacks would be classified as infantry fighting vehicles.

The Razorback, along with the Whirlwind, is a post-Heresy design and is therefore not utilized by Chaos Space Marines.

Predator

The Predator is a heavily armoured tank based on the Rhino chassis. Transport space is sacrificed to accommodate a variety of anti-personnel and anti-armour weapons. Armed with either an autocannon or twin-linked lascannons, it can also have heavy bolters or lascannons located on side sponson mountings.

There are two primary variants of the Predator. The Destructor was the original configuration for the Predator, armed with an Autocannon and Heavy Bolters to support infantry in the field. The Annihilator was originally developed by the Space Wolves, using scavenged lascannons to provide anti-tank support, and quickly spread through all the chapters, and eventually developed into a sanctioned design. Some Predators will combine elements of both designs, such as the lascannons of the Annihilator turret, but the Destructor's heavy bolters. The Chaos equivalents are identical in design, but carry no Annihilator or Destructor designation.

The Blood Angels Space Marines have developed a third variant of the Predator. The Baal Predator is equipped with a twin-linked assault cannon on the turret and the capability to take a pair of heavy flamers as the sponson weapons.

Whirlwind

Being a mobile force, the Space Marines have little need for artillery. However, when it is called for, they can utilize the Whirlwind, a Rhino chassis armed with a long-range missile pod, and can bombard enemy positions in preparation for attack. The Whirlwind can be modified to act as an anti-air missile platform, as the Hyperios variant. A Whirlwind can also be equipped with castellan missiles which are fired high into the air to deploy mine fields.

The Whirlwind, along with the Razorback, is a post-Heresy design and is therefore not utilized by Chaos Space Marines.

Hunter

A variant rarely found on the frontlines, the Hunter is a missile-launching vehicle much like the Whirlwind. The Hunter, however, is used almost solely to counter enemy aircraft.

Vindicator

When attacking fortified positions, Space Marines use the Vindicator, which fills nearly the entire Rhino chassis with the massive, snub-nosed Demolisher Cannon, capable of blasting through the thickest walls. This weapon has proven so effective that the Iron Warriors Traitor Legion makes it a point to scavenge these for their own use whenever possible and is the only Traitor Legion to utilize these vehicles.

Leman Russ Exterminator

A variant of the Leman Russ used by both the Imperial Guard and the Space Wolves, the Exterminator sacrifices the heavy battle cannon and replaces it with a twin-linked autocannon. The removal of the heavy ordnance weapon and its ammunition means that the Exterminator can keep up with the fast and fluid style of assault the Space Wolves are known for and is used as a support tank in the Imperial Guard.

Dreadnought

Even the Space Marines are mortal, and when the greatest of their number fall in battle, if there is a spark of life left in them then their body will be transferred into the armoured sarcophagus of a Dreadnought. Dreadnoughts are a combination of armoured walker and life-support system; their pilots hooked straight into the Dreadnought's body, able to use it as if it were their own body.

Dreadnoughts are often thousands of years old. The oldest Dreadnought in the Imperium, Bjorn the Fell-Handed, of the Space Wolves was a member of Leman Russ' retinue and fought in the Horus Heresy when he was still whole of body. When the Dreadnoughts are not in need by the Chapter, they are placed back into the Chapter's chapel to sleep away the centuries until they are needed once more.

Dreadnoughts come in various "Mark" versions, similar to Space Marine armor. The most common version is the Mark V, though Forge World makes Mark IV variants as well.

A rare version of the dreadnought, the "Aegis", used by the Grey Knights Inquisitorial Chapter is equipped with special warp resistant devices, and blessed armour that offer a degree of protection from psychic powers.

There are two major variants of the standard Dreadnought in service within the Imperium.

Among the countless more specialised variants, two stand out:

Chaos Dreadnoughts are not revered for their wisdom like their Imperial counterparts but shackled securely when not in combat as the Chaos Space Marine within has been driven insane by millenia of being trapped within the cold sarcophagus. They are used as insane behemoths to trample the enemy and are regarded with caution, as the madman pilot can turn his wrath upon his comrades if there are no enemy units within range. Their weapons are configured in the same way as Imperial Dreadnoughts but have no specific designations. As they are not wise or even reliable by any means, they are usually designated as fire support or frontal assault units rather than elite soldiers as the Imperial Space Marines do. However, Chaos Dreadnoughts can be configured into more powerful versions of their Imperial counterparts by the use of special marks dedicated to one of the Chaos gods, imbuing them with unholy powers.

Combat Motorcycle

Used primarily by the Space Marines, although use by the Imperial Guard is not unheard of, combat motorcycles are often used for reconnaissance and rapid support. Each bike is equipped with twin-linked bolters, and the riders will commonly carry a support weapon, such as a flamer or plasma gun.

A variant of the combat motorcycle is the Attack Bike. A sidecar carrying a crew-operated heavy bolter or multi-melta is attached to the motorcycle, significantly increasing the firepower of a combat motorcycle squadron.

Land Speeder

Incredibly fast, the double-seat Land Speeder anti-gravity vehicle is used for reconnaissance and to attack enemy fortifications and heavy weapons from the air. Although it is well-armed it has little armour and relies on speed and rapid strikes for protection. Land Speeders are usually fielded in squadrons of three, although it is not uncommon to field less.

Variants include;

The Land Speeder, as well as the Land Raider, get their names from Arkhan Land, the Magos who rediscovered the STC template containing their designs.

Land Raider

The armoured fist of the Space Marines, the Land Raider is one of the most powerful tanks in the Imperium's arsenal. It can transport Terminators into battle, carries enough weapons to blast its way through nearly any defence, and has armour thick enough to withstand lascannon fire. The Land Raider is the most heavily armoured vehicle available to any army smaller than a full Imperial Guard Armoured Company, and its armour is believed to be second only to the Necron Monolith.

The original designs for both the "Land" Raider and the anti-gravitic plates used on the "Land" Speeder were discovered during an expedition deep in the Librarius Omnis on Mars by Technoarchaeologist Arkhan Land, after whom the vehicles were named.

The standard Land Raider carries a hull-mounted, twin-linked heavy bolter and two twin-linked "Godhammer" pattern lascannons, making the Land Raider an extremely formidable foe for armoured vehicles and infantry alike. It is able to stand up for itself in any fight against any other vehicle, and come out victorious almost all of the time.

Land Raiders are also equipped with a Machine Spirit, an Artificial Intelligence crafted by the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Machine Spirit is smart enough to move the tank and fight even without a crew, although it is nothing compared to the battle-hardened Space Marine crew of the Land Raider, and as a result, accuracy suffers considerably.

Land Raiders were once used by all branches of the Imperium's armed forces, but during the Horus Heresy, their use was restricted to the Space Marines by decree of the Emperor himself. The popularity of this mighty war engine was so great, that a whole Forge World, the Anvilus 9, was entirely turned over to Land Raider production. Anvilus 9 was overrun by renegade techpriests at the beginning of the Heresy, and Land Raider production suddenly slowed to a trickle.

With Horus' forces threatening to overrun Holy Terra, the Emperor stated that all Land Raiders still on the loyalist side were to be reformed for exclusive use by the Space Marines, who were at the forefront of the fighting. Once the Horus Heresy had been crushed with the sacrifice of the Emperor, the decree of exclusive use remained in place, even after the ascension of the Emperor to the Golden Throne, as none dared to revoke his most holy commandments. The decree has remained in place for ten thousand years, although a small number of Land Raiders have been manufactured for use by the Inquisition.

The Chaos Space Marines also have access to these powerful machines as they took with them countless of these destructive behemoths. In the Eye, the Machine Spirit is destroyed and replaced with a daemonic entity that performs similar functions. Some Chaos Land Raiders are so possessed by daemons that they are virtually a box with guns carrying countless daemons. Though these "upgrades" augment the already-formidable power of the Land Raider to unimaginable heights, they also make it unable to carry any troops.

Land Raider Crusader

The most common variant of the Land Raider, the Land Raider Crusader is armed to provide short-ranged, anti-infantry support. The Crusader was originally developed by the Black Templars Chapter, but was eventually approved as an authorized design (though, it should be noted, that this didn't stop many chapters from using them for some time beforehand).

The Land Raider Crusader is armed with a hull-mounted twin-linked Assault Cannon turret, and sponson-mounted Hurricane Bolters (essentially six bolters linked together). It is also equipped with a multi-melta to burn through armoured walls, and its front is studded with fragmentation launchers to assist the troops disembarking from its front ramp.

The removal of the lascannon generators has increased the carrying capacity of the Crusader by an additional 50% making the Crusader able to carry a frightening 10 terminators into the heat of battle.

Other Land Raider Variants

Rarer modifications of the Land Raider are in service with some Chapters of the Space Marines.

Imperial Aircraft

Thunderbolt Fighter

A large, cumbersome fighter that has long range and heavy weapons. The Thunderbolt is the standard fightercraft of the Imperial Navy for ground-based actions.

Lightning Fighter

A fast, light air superiority fighter, it is used to gain control over a battlefield before Thunderbolt fighters are deployed to maintain that control. The Lightning is primarily armed with wing-mounted lascannons and an autocannon mounted under the nose.

Aquilia Shuttle

A shuttle used to transport officers.

Valkyrie Transport Gunship

Capable of transporting Imperial Stormtroopers into battle and supporting them with it's door and wing mounted weapons, the Valkyrie has a transport capacity of ten.

Vulture Gunship

The Vulture is a variant of the Valkyrie designed solely for firepower instead of transport capacity.

Thunderhawk Gunship

The Thunderhawk is a massive, heavily-armored spacecraft used by the Space Marines for a variety of missions. It is primarily used as a transport and dropship, bringing Marines to the enemy, whether on the ground or in a spaceship. The Thunderhawk is heavily armed, with a number of Heavy Bolters and Lascannons to clear out enemy infantry or vehicles to clear a landing zone, or provide aerial support. In addition, the Thunderhawk may carry missiles mounted under the wings, and is equipped with a massive dorsal-mounted gun towards the rear of the ship. This gun may be either a Battlecannon, as seen on the Leman Russ tank, or a Turbo Laser, a massive laser weapon capable of hurting Titans or even spaceships. A variation of the Thunderhawk modified into a dedicated transport also exists. This version is very lightly armed, but can carry two Rhinos (or variants) or a Land Raider straight into combat. Thunderhawks are also occasionally used by the Inquisition.

Space Marine Landing Craft

A much larger ship, Landing Craft is capable of dropping an entire Space Marine detachment into battle, then using its lascannons and heavy bolters to support them.

Drop Pod

By far the Space Marines' favored method of entering combat from orbit. Drop Pods are simple affairs designed to deliver Marines directly into the thick of battle, often right on top of enemy formations. They are launched from ships in low orbit, and travel at extreme speeds both for a rapid insertion and to avoid enemy air defenses. Few metres off the ground retrothrusters are fired to slow the pods descent just enough to avoid killing the passengers. Disembarkation ramps on all sides will drop once the pod lands, enabling the passengers to quickly evacuate. The only drawback to Drop Pods is that they are only capable of transporting infantry or Dreadnoughts, while tanks must come in later on transports or landing craft.

Often during a pod drop, Space Marines will also drop down Deathwind Pods, which, instead of carrying troops, are armed with a number of automated missile launchers or assault cannons. Deathwinds help ensure that a hotly-contested area has much less resistance by the time the Marines hit.

Battle Sister Vehicles

The Battle Sisters, female warriors of the Ecclesiarchy (although they often fight alongside the Inquisition), frequently use the Rhino transport and have access to more interesting weapons than that of their elite Space Marine or defensive Imperial Guard allies. In addition, Inquisitors are allowed to recruit any vehicle of any Imperial army into their use and will use many of the above mentioned vehicles.

Immolator

A Rhino variant used exclusively by the Sisters of Battle, Immolators carry twin-linked heavy flamers, heavy bolters, or multi-meltas. The room for ammunition means that only a small number of Sisters of Battle can be transported by an Immolator.

Repressor

Another Rhino variant, the Repressor was designed for use by the Adeptus Arbites, but has been used by Battle Sister for support. It is primarily used for anti-insurgency roles, being eqquipped with a dozer blade in front, and additional transport capacity. They are armed with a Stormbolter and flamer, as well as smoke grenade launchers.

Exorcist

Another Rhino variant exclusive to the Sisters of Battle, the Exorcist fulfils the role of mobile artillery for Sisters of Battle forces. Exorcists are rare, and each vehicle is regarded as a work of art, as much a symbol of the Divine Emperor as a provider of long-range fire support. It is mounted with a weapon system unique to the Exorcist, a multi-barreled missile launcher sometimes shaped like a huge pipe organ and sometimes like a more conventional missile launcher, which fires salvos of armor piercing missiles at its targets. However the technology of their manufacture has long since been lost, wich both makes them even more rare, and rather quirky in operation.

Penitent Engine

Penitent Engines are walkers used by the Ecclesiarchy as a form of punishment for repenting heretics. The pilot is hard-wired into the frame of the Penitent Engine, and will charge into combat in a frenzied state, made to recognise that only in death can he find forgiveness for his crimes.

References

Warhammer 40,000 Articles
Main Armies Chaos | Daemonhunters | Dark Eldar | Eldar | Imperial Guard
Ork | Necron | Space Marines | Tau | Tyranid | Witch Hunters |

 

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